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Friday, August 19, 2011

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger

I think my cooking mojo is back. I have a backlog of several recipes that I need to post, this coming week. For some reason, during the summer months, we do a lot of grilling. We don't get very fancy, really-- because we're both tired when we get home from work. Most any kind of well-seasoned grilled meat, and whatever vegetables are in our fridge, makes a perfect meal for us. The meals I've been making are so simple and unfussy, that I don't feel it's interesting enough to blog about them. Hence, I get a little lazy about making a new summer dinner recipe. I think that it's Fall and Winter, when I start to create different soup recipes, braised dinners, stews and home baked breads. So, I found myself wanting to break free of the grilling ho-hums.

We enjoy grilling red meat, but I try not limit how often we do that. I starting searching through my saved recipes and I settled on this turkey burger recipes. What seems like ages ago, I had bookmarked this recipe that was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. (Would you believe I still haven't watched her final three shows? That's how little time I have to watch television, these days.) I digress. Oprah was raving how she had the best turkey burger, ever, at Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach. The Donald and his chef were invited to share the recipe with Oprah's viewers. I decided to finally see for myself what all the hoopla was about this recipe:

The first step is to sauté scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.

The ground turkey is then seasoned with salt & pepper, hot sauce and Major Grey's Chutney. Only, my chutney comes from Trader Joe's. Close enough. Lemon zest and juice is also added.

Because I'm rebellious, at times, I reversed the recipe directions and added the cooked veggies and apples last...and then some fresh chopped parsley. I scaled the recipe down to make four patties. Turkey burgers can be a challenge to work with. They're very soft and can fall apart very easily. After pressing an indentation in the middle (a little Bobby Flay trick I learned), I borrowed something I've seen the fine folks at Cook's Illustrated do--I froze the patties for about 15 minutes.

The recommended grilling time is seven minutes per side, plus 5 minutes for the meat to "rest".

Because the patties were partially frozen, it took about an extra 4 minutes of grilling time. My husband said that the patties were easy to work with, since they the freezer had firmed them. These were cooked to about 160F and they continued to cook as they rested, loosely covered in foil.

I slathered a bit of Poupon Mustard, a touch of mayo and a dab of chutney on the patties. I picked one of our paltry tomatoes (we've had one of the coolest and overcast summers that I can ever remember) and some onion. Look closely and you'll see a golden raisin that was in the chutney.

Of course, fries goes beautifully with burgers. I made a new recipe for oven-roasted garlic fries and they were fantastic! (That recipe will be posted next.)

VERDICT: Okay, I get it, Oprah. This is a really good turkey burger! The apples add a lot of moisture to the lean ground turkey, but you really don't taste them. The lemon zest really came through-- and I think next time, I'd add a little less as I don't want that to be the dominant flavor. In fact, I think lime would be a great alternative! The chutney adds a little bit of sweet to the mix, while the hot sauce kicks up the flavor a notch. If I do say so myself, I need to get busy and make some more of my own peach chutney (that has red bell pepper) to this burger. The bonus is that this is healthy burger, especially if I had whole wheat buns.

I'll definitely add this recipe to our grilling menu. Is this the best burger ever? Ever is pretty absolute, so I don't use that word as liberally as others do. I'd say it's a great burger, and I'm glad I can make my own at my humble home. I doubt that Donald Trump will be inviting me to dine at Mar-A-Lago. How about you?

As a member of a fund raising organization, I took part in a private tour of Mar-A-Lago. At lunch we didn't get a lovely turkey burger like yours, but a boxed lunch with a ham sandwich and a bag of chips. I think it would rather visit your home next time where I know I would get something delicious.

I'm glad that your mojo is back Debby. Working 6 days a week I think mine has been lost until I can get back into some kind of routine. These burgers are bookmarked and on my list to make before the end of summer.

Your execution of the burger looks great and I love that tip about putting them in the freezer for a little bit before grilling. Really nice post -- and if Karen got a ham sandwich and a bag of chips at Mar a Lago, I, too, would rather lunch at your house!

It's good to have a review of these from someone whose opinion can be trusted. I've heard about these but never made them. You are my muse - whether you want to be or not:-). Have a great weekend. Blessings...Mary

can't remember how i found your blog, but i'm lovin' it! already pinterest'ed a few things to try soon.

i made this recipe at the suggestion of another food blogger and i left out the celery and the lemon zest and subbed cilantro for parsley. didn't miss anything and loved these! btw, i added the apples and green onion at the end too...rebels unite!

Welcome!

Welcome to my internet kitchen. Please, sit back and relax, and watch me make delicious food and bakery recipes. Most of my recipes are simple, flavorful meals-- and a few baked treats. I focus on using fresh, seasonal ingredients and I try to avoid using boxed mixes and processed foods. I'm having fun learning how to cook like my grandmother once did-- from scratch! I hope that my step-by-step photos will inspire a timid cook to try them. Even if you're a seasoned cook, hopefully you'll learn a new tip or two.

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